F1 ka dyan!
I’ve been in Sepang for the Malaysian Grand Prix since Maundy Thursday.
Crazy trip. For one thing, it’s a six-day thing, and lots of stuff, good and bad are happening to me. On the bad side, no net, and I can’t get online much. I got some right now, but just because we happened on a weak, erratic signal on my floor. Then Friday my wallet with cash (and my Smart SIM - I just changed to a local one and kept my old one in my wallet) got picked on a quick trip to see the King’s palace. Put a gigantic crimp on my plans, but I’ve been through a lot the past few days already and I was determined not to let it get me down. Today my room's safe box tanked and I can't get my travel papers and other things. Jeez.
On the plus side, I’m really immersed in F1-nnery. Got a front row seat at the Circuit and I get really up close and personal with the cars. Picture-wise it's heaven for an amateur photog, but it's damned hard to catch the cars, they're so freaking fast. Took a while to get the hang of it during qualifying, but by race day I was ready.
Here’s Felipe Massa, driving hard for his pole position, taken by yours truly:
And I got to try out how it feels to be part of team with BMW Sauber, and they taught me how to change a tire like a member of their pit crew. I got to learn how to use the hydraulic jack, and my friend Elbert Cuenca from Jetset Mag was the one took the old tire out and jammed a new one in. For an F1 fan it doesn't get better than this (short of actually driving a car). Look:
More later. If there’s internet anyway. (It’s RM57/day here in the hotel, man. About P750. And me with no cash. Pshaw.) Thank God this thing is holding up.
Crazy trip. For one thing, it’s a six-day thing, and lots of stuff, good and bad are happening to me. On the bad side, no net, and I can’t get online much. I got some right now, but just because we happened on a weak, erratic signal on my floor. Then Friday my wallet with cash (and my Smart SIM - I just changed to a local one and kept my old one in my wallet) got picked on a quick trip to see the King’s palace. Put a gigantic crimp on my plans, but I’ve been through a lot the past few days already and I was determined not to let it get me down. Today my room's safe box tanked and I can't get my travel papers and other things. Jeez.
On the plus side, I’m really immersed in F1-nnery. Got a front row seat at the Circuit and I get really up close and personal with the cars. Picture-wise it's heaven for an amateur photog, but it's damned hard to catch the cars, they're so freaking fast. Took a while to get the hang of it during qualifying, but by race day I was ready.
Here’s Felipe Massa, driving hard for his pole position, taken by yours truly:
And I got to try out how it feels to be part of team with BMW Sauber, and they taught me how to change a tire like a member of their pit crew. I got to learn how to use the hydraulic jack, and my friend Elbert Cuenca from Jetset Mag was the one took the old tire out and jammed a new one in. For an F1 fan it doesn't get better than this (short of actually driving a car). Look:
More later. If there’s internet anyway. (It’s RM57/day here in the hotel, man. About P750. And me with no cash. Pshaw.) Thank God this thing is holding up.